Even more than is usual, this U.S. presidential election has the entire world on edge. The result will either be a return to the “America First” foreign policy that Republican nominee Donald Trump preached during his first term, or the adoption of an entirely new approach to international relations under an untested Democratic nominee in Kamala Harris.

U.S. allies are not sure which they should fear most: A second Trump presidency that undermines Western alliances and leaves global peace at the mercy of a volatile U.S. leader who uses threats and bribes to get his way, or a Harris administration led by an inexperienced commander-in-chief who is risk-averse and loath to use U.S. military force.

The foreign policy stakes in this election are the highest since the Cold War era. As the bipartisan Commission on the National Defense Strategy warned in a July report: “The threats the United States faces are the most serious and most challenging the nation has encountered since 1945 and include the potential for near-term major war.” And it is unclear either presidential candidate is prepared.

Despite her nearly four years as Vice-President, during which she........

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